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What Did “sacrifice†Mean For Americans During The Great Depression Or World War II?
What did “sacrifice” mean for Americans during the Great Depression or World War II?
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History and Anthropology
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The Great Depression is known as one of the worst economic recession in the modern history of the industrialized world. The period before this downfall was relatively affluent and allowed industrialization boom rapidly, it was known as the Roaring Twenties. But with the stock market crash of 1929 brought the happy times to an end. 12 million American lost their jobs at a time when there was no welfare, no unemployment insurance and no social security. Times were really hard for people in large cities across the nation but American farmers and their families suffered the most. Those citizens who were still employed had a significant cut in their salaries. The middle class and lower middle class families lived by a motto during this depression era which said “use it up, wear it out, and make do or do without.” Households faced crucial levels of thriftiness in their daily lives. People who were leading a normal life had to switch to keeping their own kitchen gardens, wore patched clothes, worked on lowest wages just to keep the living going on. A few families let their women work and help the households financially apart from managing the budget. They mostly got jobs as clerics, industry service, teachers etc. People who found it humiliating to accept the government welfare deals had to let go of their pride and accept the New Deal programs provided by the government. The crime ratio and lawlessness spiked during this period and created more fear among the common citizens.
Just as nation was struggling hard and trying to get out of the tiresome decade of depression, the country went into World War II. During this time period, the defense industry expanded and provided opportunity to men to proceed into military service. Women also found many jobs in the manufacturing industry and government encouraged them to get out of their household and help the country men in the time of war. Federal government inspired the citizens to consider it their national duty and prioritize helping the country in any way possible.
American home front during World War II was experiencing rationing system, price controls and partial access to a lot of basic products, but still the standard of living was much better than during the time of depression. Due to increased production in the defense industry, people started getting employments, which brought in money in the households who had suffered significantly in the past decade. Though the production of automobiles, rubber, and gas was limited for the general public but other industries like diamonds refinery, canned foods, greeting cards, and hoteling services improved. People who were making major sacrifices in the past got the relief in certain places and times.
There is still an irrepressible sense of nostalgia about the American sacrifice during the dark periods of the Great Depression and World War II. The magniloquence of the sacrifice and experiences felt by civilians during this war are often described as the greatest sacrifices in the human history combat and have been talked about more than any other event. The transition of American life from the depression period to the World War II to the post war period played an important role in the establishment of concepts like citizen and purchaser consumer. During the wartime, people were forced to accept dual nationalities. They were treated as citizen consumers and had to sacrifice the purchasing of certain goods and accepting the rationing programs as they were for the betterment of the nations. While at the same time they were treated as purchaser consumers also where they had to buy war bonds from government to improve the financial situation of the war industry. Americans considered sacrificing their comfort and dealing with inconveniences as their civil responsibilities. They acknowledged the scarcity of the certain products and sacrificed their investments for giving their families better facilities post war. They believed that ultimately America will win the war and that would attribute the victory to their hard work as well in the production of war materials and other services. Sacrifice meant many things for American s during the World War II. Their purchase of federal securities and funding the war in any way possible was the symbol of true nationalistic approach and their sacrifices led to achieve victory. The funds that were gathered for the total war came from the pockets of the common citizens who gave what little they had after the decade of economic depression.
Bibliography
ADDIN ZOTERO_BIBL {"uncited":[],"omitted":[],"custom":[]} CSL_BIBLIOGRAPHY Ables, Gisela R. American Perspectives: Readings in American History. Vol. 2 Revised. Pearson Custom Pub., 2003.
“‘Continued Employment after the War?’: The Women’s Bureau Studies Postwar Plans of Women Workers.” History Matters. Accessed September 28, 2019. http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/7027/.
Konkel, Lindsey. “Life for the Average Family During the Great Depression.” HISTORY. Accessed September 28, 2019. https://www.history.com/news/life-for-the-average-family-during-the-great-depression.
“Sacrificing for the Common Good: Rationing in WWII (U.S. National Park Service).” National Park Service. Accessed September 28, 2019. https://www.nps.gov/articles/rationing-in-wwii.htm.
Young, Dannagal Goldthwaite. “Sacrifice, Consumption, and the American Way of Life: Advertising and Domestic Propaganda during World War II.” The Communication Review 8, no. 1 (2005): 27–52.
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